Finland's MoD approves purchase of 155mm Bonus munitions

The Finnish Ministry of Defence (MoD) has approved the procurement of additional 155mm Bonus MK II special artillery-launched munitions for the country’s defence forces.

The newly approved procurement deal is valued at approximately €35m and is inclusive of value added tax. 

The new deal is being financed from Finland’s supplementary budget, which allows for the purchase of rapidly launched defence equipment using additional fundings.

France-based company Nexter Munitions will be responsible for the delivery of the 155mm special munitions.

The special munitions are being procured for the anti-tank weapons of the artillery.

The 155mm Bonus MK II is a fire-and-forget artillery-launched munition, which is cooperatively developed and manufactured by Nexter in France and BAE Systems’ Bofors in Sweden.

Bonus munition can be used for countering and deterring different types of combat platforms including armoured personnel carriers, self-propelled artillery systems, main battle tanks, and infantry fighting vehicles.

The handling of Bonus munitions is similar to a conventional shell and is compatible with a wide range of artillery guns.

According to BAE Systems, as soon as a 155mm artillery system fires a Bonus carrier shell, the shell is separated into two sensor-fused munitions that are deployed to search the targets within a particular range, which is up to 32,000m².

This long-range capability is currently in service with different countries’ armed forces, including Norway, Sweden, Finland, and France.

In November 2017, the Swedish Defense and Material Administration awarded a contract to BAE Systems for delivering 155mm Bonus ammunition for the Swedish Army.

The latest procurement comes a week after the Finnish MoD awarded a contract to Sako for the delivery of precision rifle systems and associated equipment for the Finnish Defence Forces.